Kenya: Elections Create Violence…Again

With presidential elections approaching this March, tensions in Kenya are rising. Unfortunately, as it is all too familiar, violence and Kenyan elections have gone hand in hand.

Every election in Kenya since the 1990’s has been preceded with violence.  Similar to the previous election four years ago, villages are burning down, killing sprees are common, and communities are continually being displaced. The Human Rights Watch has estimated roughly 300 deaths and 12,000 displaced peoples. As one of the largest economies in east Africa, the thought of this violence leading to instability is scary for the future of not only Kenya, but also neighboring countries.

       There have been long term controversies between the Pokomo and Orma tribe, mainly stemming from a lack of natural resources; they constantly fight over water and grazing rights.  With differing motives, the Orma, being semi-nomadic, are constantly looking for pasture for their cattle, and the Pokomo need the pasture to grow cash crops.

Generally the elders of the tribe have been able to come to a peaceful decision, but now they are feeling pushed aside by the politicians.  Victims of attacks on both sides have told the Human Rights Watch that the local politicians have been fueling the fighting. The majority of fighting has occurred over the Tana delta, which is a valuable and fertile are of land at the base of Kenya’s largest river. Recently the Tana delta has been a jackpot for commercial interests in the industries of sugar, rice, and bio-fuel crops; as of right now over “60% of the delta has been taken over by large-scale agriculture.” This is an incentive and opportunity for those with political control.  It is in high hopes that the violence going on in Tana will not lead to massacres in other parts of the country before the upcoming March election. Another big concern is that the sophistication of the weapons indicates that Somalia has become involved.

       As we have seen in the past, the scenario of politicians using their power to exploit natural resources for their personal gain is a slippery and dangerous slope.  The temptation of corruption has been hard to ignore in the region’s history.  As of right now, the four politicians accused of escalating the violence are being brought to trial, but the likelihood that everyone involved has been caught is not very reassuring. It was also reported that Police failed to respond to villagers in the past six months that said violence was imminent. If honest politics aren’t brought to the table, it will be nearly impossible for Kenya to hold elections or prevent a civil war.

Article Reference:

http://www.economist.com/blogs/baobab/2012/09/violence-kenya

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/13/kenyan-tribal-clashes-116-dead